GOSHEN -- Extra security precautions were in place Tuesday morning at the Orange County Courthouse in preparation for Michael Mele's sentencing for first-degree manslaughter in the slaying of 25-year-old aspiring dancer Laura Garza.

Mele, 26, admitted during his Jan. 23 guilty plea to smothering Garza by forcefully covering her mouth and nose early on Dec. 3, 2008 at his Town of Wallkill apartment. He then drove her body to rural Pennsylvania and left her in a remote area.

On Tuesday morning, the sidewalk leading to the main courthouse entrance was cordoned off with yellow tape. Inside, stanchions in a hallway blocked off a conference room next to Judge Nicholas De Rosa's courtroom. When Garza's family arrived, they were escorted into the conference room.

Members of the media -- local, regional and New York City -- filled three rows of seats in the courtroom by 9:30 a.m. There were extra court officers assigned to De Rosa's court.

Mele was expected to be brought from Orange County Jail between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. for the sentencing proceedings. In keeping with a negotiated plea deal, he's expected to get 23 years in prison.